Reviews by Tifore:

A - A deep brown to light black in color. Some light comes through it but not much. Looks pretty light for a stout. Has no head at all except a small ring around the edge of the glass.

S - Smell is of bitter chocolate and espresso / coffee notes but nothing much beyond that. No malts which makes me sad and not much else too it besides the coffee notes.

T - Taste is similar to the nose in the sense that there is only bitterness in the mouth with chocolate and coffee rinds. I wish there was some sweet malts present or something else to back up the flavors.

M - I find the mouthfeel to be pretty light and dissapointing. Real watery, not much too it.

D - Interesting to taste but not something I will be getting a pint of for sure.

M - On the fuller side of medium bodied, teeeting on full bided... Slightly visocus... Modest carbonation... Sleek and dense... Impactful...

D - A solid brew all the way around... However, for a beer wtih "coffee" in its name I feel a wee bit let down... More than a sipper, but far from quaffable... It's there, but it's secondary... I would drink again, and wouldn't urge any against drinking, not just sure I would recommend it...

Appears an opaque black with a fluffy dark tan head that never really fades away. Scattred spots of lacing are left around the glass.Smell is of butterscotch, cocoa, coffee, and vanilla cream.Taste is of the aromas with ripe fruit consisting of ripe bamas, pears, and black grapes.Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slick, and smoth in the finish.

Pours a color that is close to black with a thin tan head and just a bit of lacing. The nose is some roasted coffee with the tiniest hint of coffee and roasted. Mild chocolate. The taste is some moderate coffee as well without too much else going on. Medium body with decent carbonation and a slight dryness. Drinks fairly well but is just a fairly decent coffee beer.

Pours a deep amber to brown-ish in color, with a tan head. In the aroma, coffee, roasted malts, and a small alcohol hint. In the taste, sweet coffee, roasted malts, a small alcohol hint and a bit creamy even. A smooth and medium to bigger bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry coffee and cream like aftertaste. Nice big coffee, with a hint of sweetness, very enjoyable.

A quick note before I begin: I'm sure most of the good Hunter Thompson references have already been made elsewhere, but I'm gonna try to include at least a couple. (Clearly this was necessary information.) The pour results in a glass of Nixon's soul, dark as the most Commie-hating night. A half-finger of rather dark brown foam tops it off, giving the same illusion of life and humanity that Tricky Dick himself occasionally pulled off while out on the stump. If you ever wondered how much coffee could be packed into a small snifter of beer's smell, the answer can be found here: a shit-ton! It's as though a fresh pot was brewed up in preparation for some beer to be added later. Some chocolate and dark malts attempt to add some variety, some spontaneity (spouses do get bored from time to time), but they only succeed temporarily before the feet rediscover their former rut. Their fortunes change, though, when the beer hits the tongue (better than shit hitting the fan, right?). The coffee become much more subdued, though remains in the center ring. It is flanked by some dark chocolate and roasted malts, which, alone, wouldn't draw the same crowd. Interestingly, without the intense coffee-ness, this brew becomes decidedly more boring, a tad more bland, just another roasty stout. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty good, just not what it could have been, I guess. I dunno. What hurts this guy even more is the combination of active carbonation (higher than it ought to be, if you ask me) and a lack of chewy coating that would normally accompany a stout of such heft. These qualities hinder what could have been a pretty high drinkability from reaching the commanding heights of the beer economy. Still, overall, this was a pretty tasty beverage, though not necessarily one I would regularly use to help wash down my Big Kahuna Burger. (Dammit, only two Hunter-esque references...sorry, I tried...)

On tap at Al's of Hampden in a 8 oz. glass.Very dark, almost black with a creamy head.Strong coffee smell with rich malt overtones.Taste is of sweet coffee and cream with some chocolate. Mouth feel is heavy and smooth - one 8 oz. glass was enough-this is a sipping beer - take time to enjoy every drop. Needed to warm up - is served too cold to fully savor this fine brew.

Pours midnight black, light creamy mocha head. Aroma of toasted malt, coffee. In the flavor, roasted coffee, vanilla and a modest bitterness. Alittle alcohol peeks through in the end. Dark coffee, good stout flavors. Mouthfeel is thick and carbonation is good. Overall, a nice drinkable beer from Flying Dog, their dark beers seem to be their best offerings.

- from notesA - from the bottle, so nothing to say hereS - sweet malty coffee but nothing very strongT - nice amount of malt, but light on the burnt coffee taste. Perhaps a French roast?M - feels like a stout with a bit much carbonationD - drinkable but I've had better coffee stouts.

Pours a dark almost black color with an one finger off white almost khaki colored head which fades quickly to nothing and leaves a little soapy alcohol lacing. The aroma is of nice inviting coffee and cream. It isn't all that complex but very good. The taste is of coffee and cream as well with a nice roasted malt backbone, not bitter at all but a slightly sweet taste. The mouthfeel was creamy and properly carbonated. The drinkability is great, the alcohol is well hidden and the taste melts over your mouth, very solid beer.

Growler fill at Al's of hampden. Poured into a snifter, this brew appears jet black in color with absolutely zero amount of light shining through...even around the edges no light can penetrate until it is swirled and then it displays a dark brown color. Two fingers of darkly tanned creamy head swell up and slowly receed. Lace clings in small patches about the glassware.

The aroma of this brew includes a well balanced mixture of freshly brewed coffee, dark roasted grain coming across like sweet chocolate and an abundant amount of citrus hops. A light amount of alcohol becomes noticeable in the backend smelling a bit like dark skinned fruit.

Taking a sip, this brew greets the tongue with a heavy amount of coffee. Plenty of flavors of darkly roasted malt tasting like chocolate mixed with a bit of almost woodsy character are not nearly as bitter as I was anticipating. Some citrus hops play their role as a bit of a bittering agent but cease to overtake the flavor of dark roasted grain and coffee. In the backend there is a seemingly solvent-like alcohol character that tastes a bit like dark skinned fruit just as the aroma had led on. The alcohol is evident, not only in taste but also has quite a bit of warming effect down the back of the throat.

The feel of this brew is on the medium to heavy side with an ample amount of carbonation. Long lingering aftertaste of bitter sweet chocolate and coffee is left in the mouth that at times gives way to more of the citrus hops. Really a stunning brew if you enjoy dark beer and even more so if you enjoy drinking your coffee black and unsweetened. Well balanced overall, this is really a good brew to seek out.

A - Jet black body...this one is thick and dense...two fingers worth of creamy, brown head...it settles into a thin bead atop the brew but it comes back to a cap after a swirl...some patchy lacing

S - Coffee of course...the coffee is actually on par with the roasted malts in the aroma...but the coffee presents itself as a cup of iced coffee with a touch of cream

T - The coffee is present throughout the entire beer...it smacks you in the face up front with a coffee blast then it leaves you with that roasted coffee bitterness...the roasted malts provide a backbone in the middle to bump the flavor up a little bit...tastes like a touch of cream is added to sweeten this one up

D - I had an 8 oz. serving and that was good...I could have had another one but I thought it would have gone down pretty quick (just like the first one)...I wish I would have let this one warm up to allow more flavors to come out...a good coffee stout, so you better like coffee before trying this one

This is the Flying Dog Wild Dog Coffee Stout, and should be reviewed as such. Had this on tap at Beer Revolution in Oakland. Pours a dark brown, edging toward black, but with a ways to go yet. Decent head that fades to a crema like head. Smells simply of good coffee and cream. Tastes nicely of coffee and cream with some roasty notes that just accent the pleasant coffee overtones. Nicely balanced, and not the slightest bit harsh while preserving a nice coffee flavor. Very smooth and nicely creamy in the mouth, this is a fine coffee stout, and the alcohol is so well hidden it barely seems there is any there. I also appreciate the fact that it is neither too bitter from straight coffee beans, nor too sweet as some coffee stouts are. Nice.

On-tap at Flying Saucer served in a standard pint glass an almost opaque black that shows slight ruby highlights when held to light. The beer is topped by a decent frothy light tan head that quickly diminishes to barely a ring and then nothing. The aroma is a slight trace of coffee and roasted malts, but there's not much there, even as it warms. The taste is fresh ground coffee and roasted malts, much more present than in the aroma. The beer is a bit on the heavy side, but not too overbearing, with smooth carbonation. This is a decent coffee stout, worth trying, but it is far from the best.

Presentation:Rattle 'N Hum did good by me swapping out the tired nonic for a retooled mason jar.

Appearance: Looks like a rich, steaming cup of joe. Virtually no head.

Aroma: WOW. I have never had such a viceral reaction to a coffee stout: my nostrils instinctively flared as equal parts roasted arabica coffee bean and belgian chocolate wafted its way. Very fresh and real.

Taste: Unfortunately -- and this seems a trend for Flying Dog -- the heavenly aroma lifted my expectations to dizzying heights only for the taste to rip me headlong from sensory enlightenment into the tepid seas of disappointment. It's like the same coffee and chocolate had been sitting around in the rain for weeks before I got a fair chance to enjoy their bounty.

Mouthfeel: I know it's cask, but it was altogether too warm and sloshy. Good, not great.

Harmony: Meh... It started off so well.

Would I get it again?:Probably not. I'd smell it again, though for 8 bucks, that'd be a waste.